Elementary students get taste of campus life

15NOV12 universitylife 011

Philip Walker/Record staff

Laurier student Kyle Lees sits with elementary students Noah Ndhlovu and Ahmed Abdullahi Thursday at Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy. Students from Wilson Avenue Public School talked to Laurier students about university life.

WATERLOO — The smiles and giggles came instantly when Wilfrid Laurier University football player Kyle Lees sat with Noah Ndhlovu and his Grade 5 and 6 buddies.

“It’s awesome. I never met a football player before,” said 10-year-old Ndhlovu, who was in awe of the defensive line player for the Golden Hawks.

Lees was among a group that included music and sociology Laurier students that took the stage Thursday to share with about 110 Grades 5 and 6 students what it’s like to attend university and play varsity sports.

Lees described the challenge of balancing academics with 6 a.m. and late afternoon football practices, and the excitement of game days. “Nothing beats running out with your helmet on and coming out to loud fireworks and fans cheering,” said the 19-year-old, who wants to be a police officer.

But Lees was quick to add university life is more than football.

“Without good grades, you can’t play football. It’s really important to stay in the books.”

Ndhlovu’s trip along with his classmates from Wilson Avenue Public School was part of an initiative sponsored by the Laurier Sociology Student Association to connect with community and bring awareness to young students who might not be familiar with the post-secondary institutions around them.

Laurier sociology professor Lucy Luccisano said the idea for the event stemmed from discussion with her students about connecting the university with the community. “We wanted to get them (elementary students) to start dreaming about post-secondary education as an option,” she said.

“This may or may not be part of their everyday life experience. We are trying to break down what the university is. It’s not just a boring place of books.”

Pino Esposito, a music teacher at Wilson Avenue, said connecting with university students gives the younger pupils role models to aspire to. “They see different pathways that they can pursue,” he said.

“It (university) might not be on their radar and they may not move in circles that include universities. Here they can start to set goals.”

Eleven-year-old Talitha Brownson hopes to go to Laurier when she graduates from high school.

“I’m scared I’m going to get lost. This one room is like four classrooms put together,” she said.

Alexia Brown was surprised to hear the university had clubs to join. “It’s the biggest school I’ve ever seen,” said the 10-year-old.

As a fourth-year sociology student, Donya Mosleh said she’s learned the theoretical and critical skills in class, and inviting the elementary students to the school is applying those skills in daily life.

“We want to open and foster relations with Laurier and the wider local population,” said the 21-year-old student.

And more importantly, “we want to show them that the university isn’t a big scary place. It’s real and it’s right in your community, and it’s within your grasp,” she said.